Mean Sleep
by STR8BKCHICK
Summary: Sixth in the 'Kinda, Sorta' one-shot series.  Dom is home and things have changed.


Mean Sleep

**A/N: Sixth in the 'Kinda, Sorta' series, after 'Shatter'.**

**Some of you will appreciate this chapter…some of you will want to slap me…review**

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><p>"So what's changed besides the obvious?" Dom asked, standing in the kitchen doorway to his home. He'd been away for almost three years and had refused to see her for half of them. The longer he'd stayed there, the less humane he'd felt. He couldn't take the despair in her eyes that she tried to hide at not being able to touch him. He couldn't stand her smile that warmed him, because he knew it would kill him to feel the cold seep back in when she left.<p>

She was still beautiful, but gone was her innocence and the lightness in her eyes. She looked older, and so serious that if he hadn't known any better, he'd say she was the one that had been to prison.

He realized she hadn't let her hair grow, keeping it no longer than her bra strap and that outwardly, she was more defensive, defiant even.

Her clothes were more provocative, yet still tomboyish, cargos, leather and lace still her friends.

He knew very well that he had changed as well. He wasn't the naïve 19 year old he'd been when they'd met and certainly wasn't the 20 year old that had been locked away.

He didn't feel playful with the team or comfortable in his own home, and he felt so many things standing in front of her, it almost felt like nothing at all.

He watched as she faced him, sunglasses over her eyes and a bullshit attitude marring her features. She struggled not to snort, completely irritated that he'd cornered her in the kitchen.

"Your things are in your father's room, mine are in your old room. The shop is open 6 days a week, not 7, and the store is doing great. Mia's almost done with her third year at USC. Vince has a band and they have gigs around town. Leon is still sniffin skirts and Jesse is doing really good with designs for the shop."

"And you?" he asked, glaring into her eyes, wishing he could see through the shades.

"You don't get to ask about me." She replied tersely.

"You can't tell me not to love you, Letty."

"You have no right. I needed you and you made your choice. You were selfish! I held you that night and I lived that pain with you. I left my heart on the courtroom floor when they sent you away. I took it back when you refused to see me and I don't know if I want to give it to you again." And with that, she turned around, gripping the knob, wrenching the back door open.

"Welcome home."

"Not yet." He spoke as she paused. "Not until I make this right."

And with that, she was gone.

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><p>There was a knock on the door and Letty knew immediately who it was.<p>

Mia never knocked, and each of the boys would knock to different beats.

Sighing, she sat her book down, groaning inwardly.

"Come in." she granted, waiting for the door to open.

When it did, she stifled a groan. He stood in a pair of baggy sweats and a wife beater that hugged all muscles, new and old, in all of the delicious places.

"You lost?" she asked, hardening herself to him.

"This is my house, remember?" he bit back irritated at her attitude. "Am I bothering you?"

She didn't reply, instead she hunched her shoulders waiting for him to continue.

"Mia tells me I have you to thank for the bed and the furniture. I know you didn't have to do it, but I'm grateful that you did."

"I did it after your first year gone. I won a street race and brought home 6 g's and bought the bed set. I waited a few months and got the mattresses. I knew it would be important for you when you got out to sleep in a bed that felt like heaven." She smiled despite herself. He stepped further into the room then, rubbing at his bald head as he sat on the end of the bed, facing away from her.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I can't sleep in there." He finally admitted, causing her to sit up completely, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, slightly insulted by his admission.

"I can't sleep in that room. He lived there. I just can't. I'll be on the couch until we figure something out." He spoke, standing.

"I didn't think of that, and I'm sorry. That's pretty insensitive. You can have this room then. I'll take your father's." she offered, standing on her feet in front of him, turning to gather her book. "We can pack me up tomorrow."

"I can't sleep in here, either." He sighed, looking into her eyes, keeping himself from reaching out and stroking her face. She looked at him completely puzzled until he continued.

"This room smells like you. It'd be as bad as the other room. I'll take the couch for now. It's not a big deal. I've been in prison for almost three years; what's a bed?" he joked weakly, breaking Letty's heart.

"This is utterly ridiculous. What if tonight, you sleep beside me and tomorrow we move the bed down the hall in here and this one into your father's room? I'll take my stuff and my smell with me." She offered, needing him to accept so that she could feel easy about this. She didn't want to worry about him anymore.

"Fine. If you don't mind. I don't want to upset you or make you any more angry with me than you already are." He sighed, rubbing his head again.

"It looks good on you." She blurted, changing the subject. He looked up at her sharply, confused by her statement.

"The hair cut. I like you completely bald. I know before you were always low cut, but this looks nice as well."

He didn't reply, but simply looked at his old bed, gesturing to which side she wanted him to take.

"Whichever is fine, Dom. I sleep wild, so it doesn't matter to me." She sighed.

"Yea, I remember." He smiled, instantly dropping the smirk as she looked at him.

Once he settled into the covers, he sighed as his nose buried into the linen, inhaling her scent, allowing it to flush the smell of prison from his senses.

He felt the bed dip and the lamp turn off as she got into bed across from him, sure to stay as far away from him as she could.

They lay there in silence and Dom just listened to her breathe, his mind conflicted in the quietness of the room.

Letty squeezed her eyes shut, trying to repel the emotion that threatened to creep back into her if she allowed it.

The last time they'd been in this bed, she'd begged him to make love to her, allowed him to pleasure her. She was insane to think they could sleep and not fall back into old routines.

As though he read her mind, she felt his arm reach for her, thick and hard as his wrapped around her tiny waist, pulling her across the bed into his chest.

"I never thanked you that night my father died." He began and when she tried to turn to face him, he tightened his hold.

"Dom, we can't do this. I won't." she sighed. He ignored her, continuing.

"My entire foundation fell apart that day and you were the only thing strong enough to hold me up. If it weren't for you, Letty, I may have died. My father told me about you. He told me loving you was going to save my life, and he was right." He trailed off, "He was right."

Letty lay there, her eyes watering at his admission. This was the most he'd spoken to her since before his father died.

"I know you don't understand why I did what I did. I know you may never forgive me. But I had to do what I did to survive, to make sure there would be a man left to come back to you."

His arms were so big around her and she didn't want to move, didn't want to breathe. She wanted to disappear and not deal with this.

"I'm not ready to do this, Dominic. I don't know if I _can_ do this. You're going to have to give me time."

Dom's heart leapt from his chest at the sound of hope. He brought his other hand to her back, sliding it beneath her t-shirt to rest against the skin of her back, his fingers stroking the skin there.

"I miss you so much, baby." He admitted, and she closed her eyes, torn between what their bodies needed and what her heart needed. Tears slipped through the closed lids and she turned in his arms, the moonlight casting a glow of light on them.

His hand went to her face, stroking the skin there, dipping his fingers into the wetness.

"Please don't cry, Letty. It breaks my heart to see you cry."

"It breaks my heart to feel like I didn't have any part of you for the past year. I sacrificed everything for you and you just left me all alone." She cried softly, her voice cracking towards the end. "My father moved back to Puerto Rico, my grandmother went too. You were my only family and you left me here alone."

"I'm sorry for that."

"I hate that I'm so angry with you and I can't stop feeling the way you made me feel before shit fell apart. I'm held prisoner by that man. I wish I could have moved on with my life, but I can't. I hate you for having this hold on me."

As she confessed, she became painfully aware of their position. He was so much huskier than before and the way he held her, and looked at her, forced desire and love to her fingertips.

Dom bowed his head, shaking it slightly at her honesty, shame taking over.

Suddenly, he didn't feel so strong and sure of himself.

"I'm sorry, Letty. For everything. For making you fall in love with me, only to have me leave you, and for not being strong enough to feel that love this past year. I'm sorry I'm putting you in this position."

"I know you are, and for that reason, I'm going to take the couch tonight. Neither one of us is prepared to just sleep. I don't want to hurt you, and you're not going to hurt me, either." She decided, sitting up and standing.

"I'll see you in the morning." She breathed, turning from him and walking out the door.

Dom lay there, staring after her, completely stressed.

He'd obviously made the wrong choice for her, but it had been his life that was in danger, not hers.

As she padded down the stairs, she flopped onto the couch, wiping at her wet eyes, and growled loudly.

'Life was hard; she needed a helmet.' She thought as she stretched out, grabbing the knitted throw on the arm of the couch.

As she lay in the quiet, she heard Dom's heavy footsteps creeping down the steps and held her breath. She knew she would not have the strength to turn away from him again if he came to her, so she sighed in relief and then held her breath in worry as she watched his shadow walk past her and to the front door, walking out and into the night.

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><p>At the races the next night, Letty was distracted. She set back against her car, her arms crossed over her chest tightly, as her left leg bounced in irritation.<p>

Vince stood next to her on one side, watching the crowd as they gathered around Dom, but Letty was blind to it. As all the women pawed at him, and all the men hailed his return, she couldn't get her mind off where he'd gone the night before.

Part of her knew it was unfair to deny him physical pleasures when he'd been in prison for years and celibate even before then due to their courtship, but the other part of her didn't care.

He belonged to her until she said otherwise and at the rate he was going, she'd wear a tutu before she'd renege on her affirmation of time.

His balls could turn blue and fall off for all she cared; he'd wait as long as she said.

Another part of her knew that he was a man, and men had needs. Could she really expect him to honor her wishes?

Was it fair to make him hold out when she was so uncertain?

She snorted internally. She would finally focus her decisions on herself.

"Letty? Are you listening to me?" Vince snapped, causing her to sneer up at him.

"What?" she snapped back, standing up, her mini skirt sliding dangerously low on her hips. He gestured to a group of guys approaching and she cursed.

The last thing she needed was shit Dom's first night being back out. She felt Mia tense, before sighing, bringing her hand to her head.

"What you want me to do? Normally, I'd get Leon and Hector and we'd beat the shit outta these fools, but I don't want the Incredible Hulk over there back in jail. You're call, Little Mama." He explained, not taking his eyes off the men.

"I'll handle it." Letty bit back, her face stoic and bored as she walked forward towards the men.

"Ooo, tonight must be my lucky night if you're coming to me." Warren smiled, causing his two friends to grin.

"I don't want any shit tonight, so be cool." She warned, hoping that peace was on the table.

"Letty, I'm cool every night, and all I need is your hot ass to warm me. When are we gonna stop this song and dance? You're not seeing anyone. And these outfits you wear, umm, sexy." He said, trying to sound enticing.

"Look, I told you before, I ain't interested. I mean, there are whores galore. Take your pick." She sighed, looking around the race to see ass and breast splattered all over.

"Yea, but I want _Dom's_ whore." He smiled, reaching his finger out to trace the skin of her exposed belly and Letty was grateful Dom was out of earshot and hadn't heard the insult.

She jumped back as though he were made of fire, her fist arching before she realized her instincts had taken over and punched him in the mouth.

As she caught her balance, she heard Vince holler 'Dom', as surprise registered on Warren's face. At the taste of blood, he raised his hand to slap her, only to find himself lifted in the air off his feet, seemingly by magic until he landed with a sickening thud on his back.

When she looked up, she swore she saw smoke puff from his nostrils, his jaw set, in complete protective mode. Letty made a move to rush forward, wanting to prevent the eminent altercation, but Vince grabbed her, holding her back.

"Nuh uh. Don't get into that, Lett. Let Warren take his ass whoopin'." He chastised, causing Mia to nod her head in agreement.

Hector and Leon jumped forward, holding Warren's friends back, allowing Dominic to walk towards the man.

"You must have a death wish or something?" Dom asked quietly, his deep voice predatory and authoritative.

"Fuck you, man!" Warren gasped, the wind knocked from his lungs.

Dom had been chatting it up with Hector when he noticed the men walking towards Letty. Even if she didn't know it, he'd kept his eyes on her and Mia the entire night, keeping his distance.

It made him uneasy when he saw the stance she'd taken with the men, and it'd made his blood boil when he saw the disgusting way the man looked lustfully at her body.

It made his self control implode when he'd tried to touch her and she's reacted so violently to get away. And when she punched him and the little shit raised his hand to her in retaliation, he saw prison bars.

Dom cocked his head at the punk's arrogance, swiftly kicking him in the ribs twice.

"If I catch you around her, I'm gonna do you harm. If I catch you trying to touch her, I'm gonna make you wish you were never born. Do we have an understanding?" he asked softly again, bent down next to man as he groaned in apparent pain.

"Yea man, damn." He gasped, curled into a fetal position as the pain forced into his chest with every breath he took. Standing back up, he charged over to Letty, who wrenched her arm out of Vince's grasp.

"I was handling that, Dom!" she yelled, spinning around towards her car. He reached, grabbing her and spinning her back towards him, snatching her keys and throwing them to Mia.

"Drive her car home." He barked, hoisting Letty against his chest and walking towards his car.

She tried her best to relax, already embarrassed at the mockery she'd made of herself the first night he'd returned.

He set her onto her feet once they neared his car and she wasted no time in throwing herself into the passenger seat.

"You made me look like an idiot, Dom!" she hissed, turning to look at him.

He ignored her rant, starting the loud engine and speeding away from the crowd.

"Who was that guy?" he asked, trying to be calm with her.

"Warren." She answered tersely.

"And what's his deal?"

"No deal. He's a pompous rich kid, new in town, and hears you're legend here. He heard I was yours before you went in, so he thought I'd be his ticket to respect. He just doesn't take 'no' for an answer. I think he got the message loud and clear now."

"I'm sure he did. How long has he been bothering you?" he asked, suddenly concerned. She hunched her shoulders.

"Seven or eight months."

"Why the fuck hasn't Vince…"

"Because Vince acknowledges that I'm a grown up and I can bust his balls for doing shit like that to me in public. Besides, Warren and Vince have come close to blows. I'm not anyone's responsibility."

"You're my responsibility, Letty. I don't want anyone messing with you. If you decide we're over, then I'll have to accept that, but nobody is gonna fuck with you. Not now, not ever."

"Where did you go last night?" she asked suddenly, the source of her irritation unveiling itself.

He sat for a long time, thinking of what to say, before smirking.

"You think I went out for sex, don't you?" he asked, smiling as he drove.

"You're a man aren't you? And if I'm not giving it to you, someone else is." She argued. His smile immediately deepened into a frown.

"I went to the garage. I slept on the couch in the office." He replied, wounded by the fact that she thought he'd hurt her in that way.

He wanted to kiss her, and make her understand that if he could wait almost three years, and even months before that, then he could try to give her time to make a decision about them.

He also knew a part of her thought process was right. He'd wait, but he didn't know how long.

His last week of incarceration had been filled with two things: staying alive when word spread he was getting out, and sinking into her silken depths as she screamed his name.

The last thought made him shutter, and instantly harden.

He continued driving as she set back in her seat and exhaled at his admission.

She didn't say anything the rest of the way home, running up to her 'new' room and slamming the door behind her.

"Why do you torture yourself?" He whispered to the empty living room, flopping onto the couch to wait for Vince to come home so they could discuss the 'Warren' problem.

_Fin_

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><p><strong>AN: Ok...so I need to be very clear..Warren will not make another appearance! I know he poses an interesting twist...but I used him for a purpose! Dom needed to stake his claim in her publically after being gone for so long, no matter how Letty felt.**

**Also, I plan to go forward with Dom finding out what Letty has been up to and then building their friendship back...then we'll be over these one/shots in series!**

**Ok...sorry peeps...but not expanding on Warren! I'd need to write an entire story with multiple chapters to tackle that!**


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